Windows VM cannot connect to domain controller after cold migration across clusters

Products

• VMware NSX
• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Running the gpupdate utility inside a Windows VM produces no response (seems to be hung) after all of the following conditions are met:

• Windows 10 or Windows 11 VMs in use on existing cluster
• All Windows VMs are joined to domain in existing cluster
• When the gpupdate utility is ran inside the Windows VM it completes and exists successfully
• Firewall profile shows "Domain" and all the configured rules
• After any Windows VM is shut down and migrated to a new cluster, the firewall profile says "Default"
• When the gpupdate utility is run, it produces no output and hangs until you press Ctrl-C to stop it
• Network connectivity seems to be correctly configured in the new cluster both in NSX and in the physical underlay network

Environment

VMware ESXi 8.x
VMware vCenter Server 8.x
VMware NSX 4.2.x

Cause

This occurs as a result of DNS misconfiguration for the domain in the new cluster. 

Resolution

Examine the DNS configuration (forward and reverse DNS entries) for all the Windows VMs and the Domain Controllers to ensure they are correct.